For NFL players, being cut from their respective rosters remains one of the worst fears. However, getting cut even before receiving a proper opportunity to showcase your talent is a living nightmare. But for one player, the Green Bay Packers
' decision to cut him during training camp in 1994 turned out to be the best thing for his career. Reflecting on this journey, Kurt Warner believes this step helped him gain the confidence that helped him embark on his journey ahead.
Kurt Warner, signed by the Packers in 1994, was dealt a tough card after he was dropped from the roster. He really had no chance, because the team already had the future 3x NFL MVP, Brett Favre, with them. Warner instead had to turn to the AFL and NFL Europe before eventually making his NFL debut with the Rams in 1998. Now, years after both of them bid the gridiron goodbye, Warner looked back on getting cut as a blessing.
Advertisement
"I'll never forget when I was at the GB Packers Training Camp & throwing against @BrettFavre @M_Brunell8@TyDetmer14 everyday… yes, I was obviously eventually cut from that team, but I was never more convinced I belonged then during those times!" Warner wrote on X.
Warner had to come back home to Iowa and ended up working at a grocery store for minimum wage. But after he found a spot with the Iowa Barnstormers, he knew he had to make this count. According to the Des Moines Register, owners of the AFL team wanted him cut because he struggled in practice. But the quarterback turned out to be a valuable addition, and took the team to two ArenaBowls, the AFL's Super Bowl. By 1997, Kurt Warner had thrown for 10,465 yards and 183 touchdowns. It put him on the NFL's radar.
Warner signed a futures contract with the St. Louis Rams (now LA Rams
), the Packers' NFC rival. But he was allocated to the Amsterdam Admirals in the NFL Europe in 1998. After leading the league in touchdowns and passing yards, Warner returned to the States and spent the 1998 season as St. Louis's third-string quarterback behind Tony Banks and Steve Bono. In 1999, the Rams had signed Trent Green to be their starting quarterback. But after he suffered an injury, and Banks and Bono no longer in the picture, Kurt Warner finally won the position he lost to Brett Favre.
Advertisement
He then led the Rams to their first playoff berth since 1989 and their first division title since 1985 before winning the Super Bowl over the Minnesota Vikings
that same year. From that point forward, Kurt Warner went on to become one of the greatest quarterbacks
in NFL history by winning a second MVP, two All-Pro appearances, four Pro Bowl nods, and eventually getting the honor of being inducted in the Hall of Fame. However, Warner never forgot his time with the Packers, as it prepared him to take on any and every challenge that he faced.
Kurt Warner doesn't mind the adversity he faced
Kurt Warner
's story is literally made for the movies, which has now been immortalized in the 2021 film 'American Underdog.' It covers his journey from his college days to winning the 1999 Super Bowl. It also covered him being cut from the Packers and working in the Cedar Falls Hy-Vee, that too at a graveyard shift. But the iconic QB still has no complaints.
"That time helped me," Warner said during an interview with Tyler Dunne. "So that first year, I was able to excel and have the year that I did right off the bat because I had played a lot of football and been in a lot of different environments and been through adversity. There was nothing that'd overwhelm me getting thrown in and having to play that first year."
Advertisement
Warner suffered some injuries afterwards, and he eventually moved from the Rams to the Giants, and then to the Cardinals. With time, the quarterback regained his skills and was soon performing well for Arizona
. Legendary wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald
was also keen to have him on board. Within months of seeing him practice at Arizona, the WR said the team had "struck gold." Who knew that the world would get to see a talent like Kurt Warner, even after he'd been cut by the Packers?
